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Launched early 2022, the Association for Project Management (APM) Mentoring Programme has successfully reached over 200 mentors and established over 100 mentor/mentee partnerships, sharing information and expertise across the project profession.

The mentoring programme is available for APM paying members and Honorary Fellows – based anywhere in the world – who can join as mentors to support and guide others or as a mentee for those in the earlier stages of their career, those developing new careers or changing industry sectors, and people seeking guidance on specific project challenges. The programme also has reverse mentoring as an option, whereby younger project professionals can mentor more senior professionals on new practices and emerging trends.

The programme is facilitated by APM Community, APM’s online community platform, which enables users to search for and find mentors. Each working relationship is unique to suit the individuals involved, with bespoke goals and schedules. The APM Mentoring Programme also enhances professional opportunities, develops project practices and improves skills.

Sarah Slater, APM’s Volunteering Manager, says:

“I believe this programme is a great opportunity for anyone looking to further themselves. Some people have the misunderstanding that the mentor only teaches the mentee, but mentees can give so much back without even realising it. There’s a great deal of two-way learning that happens organically, which benefits both personal and career growth.

“The mentoring milestone shows how passionate people are of their profession. It’s great to see that our volunteering community is keen to give back to others in the profession, to encourage others, to share their knowledge and experiences and to help other people progress in developing their roles.

“I would like to thank our mentors who are very generous with their time. It’s fantastic to see so many people wanting to be involved to support the success of our new programme.”

Richard Tulley, Director of Programme and Project Management at Sopra Steria is an APM mentor. He says: “I’m passionate about mentoring. Being mentored fundamentally changed my career trajectory and being a mentor has had such a positive impact upon both my personal and professional development. APM has been key to my professional development and the development of colleagues in our Programme and Project Management Practice. I’m delighted that APM introduced this mentoring programme. It adds a fantastic new dimension to the learning resources and development opportunities already on offer.”

The online platform has guidance, support materials and tools so that you can make the most of this opportunity. If you’re interested to learn more, you can visit the APM Mentoring Programme page on APM’s website.